A California lawmaker is proposing to restrict the
sharing of manipulated videos depicting politicians
amid mounting concerns that increasingly
convincing “deep fakes” could give rise to
misinformation in the approaching 2020 election.
But as policy makers grapple with an emerging
technology, proposals to regulate videos have
spurred debate about free speech and the
government’s role in regulating political discourse.
Assemblyman Marc Berman, a Democrat from
Palo Alto, Calif., has proposed a law barring
anyone from distributing audio or video of a
candidate they know is altered to mislead voters,
unless the material includes a disclaimer that is
was manipulated.